In electrophotography an image comprising a pattern of electrostatic potential (also referred to as an electrostatic latent image), is formed on a surface of an electrophotographic element comprising at least an insulative photoconductive layer and an electrically conductive substrate. The electrostatic latent image is usually formed by imagewise radiation-induced discharge of a uniform potential previously formed on the surface. Typically, the electrostatic latent image is then developed into a toner image by contacting the latent image with an electrographic developer. If desired, the latent image can be transferred to another surface before development.
In latent image formation the imagewise discharge is brought about by the radiation-induced creation of electron/hole pairs, which are generated by a material (often referred to as a charge-generation material) in the electrophotographic element in response to exposure to the imagewise actinic radiation. Depending upon the polarity of the initially uniform electrostatic potential and the type of materials included in the electrophotographic element, either the holes or the electrons that have been generated migrate toward the charged surface of the element in the exposed areas and thereby cause the imagewise discharge of the initial potential. What remains is a non-uniform potential constituting the electrostatic latent image.
Many electrophotographic elements currently in use are designed to be initially charged with a negative polarity. Such elements contain material which facilitates the migration of positive holes toward the negatively charged surface in imagewise exposed areas in order to cause imagewise discharge. Such material is often referred to as a hole-transport agent. In elements of that type a positively charged toner material is then used to develop the remaining imagewise unexposed portions of the negative polarity potential (i.e., the latent image) into a toner image. Because of the wide use of negatively charging elements, considerable numbers and types of positively charging toners have been fashioned and are available for use in electrographic developers. Conversely, relatively few high quality negatively charging toners are available.
However, for some applications of electro-photography it is more desirable to be able to develop the surface areas of the element that have been imagewise exposed to actinic radiation, rather than those that remain imagewise unexposed. For example, in laser printing of alphanumeric characters it is more desirable to be able to expose the relatively small percentage of surface area that will actually be developed to form visible alphanumeric toner images, rather than waste energy exposing the relatively large percentage of surface area that will constitute undeveloped background portions of the final image. In order to accomplish this while still employing widely available high quality positively charging toners, it is necessary to use an electrophotographic element that is designed to be positively charged. Thus, positive toner can then be used to develop the exposed surface areas (which will have relatively negative electrostatic potential after exposure and discharge, compared to the unexposed areas, where the initial positive potential will remain).
An electrophotographic element designed to be initially positively charged should, however, contain an adequate electron-transport agent (i.e., a material which adequately facilitates the migration of photogenerated electrons toward the positively charged insulative element surface). Unfortunately (and analogous to the situation with positive and negative toners), many materials having good hole-transport properties have been fashioned for use in electrophotographic elements, but relatively few materials are known to provide good electron-transport properties in electrophotographic elements.
A number of chemical compounds having electron-transport properties are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,175,960; 4,514,481; 4,474,865; 4,546,059; 4,277,551; and 4,609,602. However, many prior art compounds have one or more drawbacks.
Some prior art electron-transport agents do not perform the electron-transporting function very well, especially under certain conditions or when included in certain types of electrophotographic elements. Also, some cause an undesirably high rate of discharge of the electrophotographic element before it is exposed to actinic radiation (often referred to as high dark decay).
Some prior art electron-transport compounds are not soluble or dispersible or have relatively limited solubility or dispersibility in coating solvents of choice or in some polymeric binders desired to be used in charge-transport layers, such that attempts to include sufficient amounts of such electron-transport agents in electrophotographic elements result in some crystallization of the electron-transport agents, which in turn causes problems such as undesirable levels of dark decay and such as unwanted scatter or absorption of actinic radiation intended to pass undisturbed through the charge-transport layer to a radiation-sensitive portion of the element.
Also, some known electron-transport agents comprise compounds known to be toxic or carcinogenic (e.g., 2,4,7-trinitrofluorenone).
Furthermore, some electron-transport agents suffer from being obtainable only through difficult, lengthy, and/or otherwise relatively inefficient or uneconomical methods of preparation.
In general, there are simply not enough known relatively good electron-transport agents available to choose from in order to have the flexibility to be able to develop electrophotographic elements that photodischarge by means of electron-transport and that can be optimized for use in various different situations (e.g., where an element is desired to contain certain charge-generating materials, sensitizers, binders, conducting layers, etc., or where it is desired to charge the element with a certain polarity or level of charge, to subject the element to imagewise exposure at a particular wavelength or intensity of radiation, to use the element in copiers that require it to photodischarge at a certain speed or require it to be able to hold a charge in darkness for a particular period of time before imagewise exposure, etc.).
Thus, there is a continuing need for electrophotographic elements containing new chemical compounds that exhibit good electron-transport properties in the elements without imparting undesirably poor dark decay properties thereto, in order to have the flexibility to meet the above-noted needs. The electron-transport agents incorporated in the elements should be sufficiently soluble or dispersible in coating solvents and polymeric binders of choice, and should be capable of being readily prepared by relatively simple and efficient methods.